Politics and a boy collide in Indonesia

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In most places it would be a political disaster, but in Indonesia it was just another day on the campaign trail.

On Tuesday afternoon, 12-year-old Irwan Nugraha was wandering through the traffic in his home town of Bandung, south-east of Jakarta. As usual he was singing songs to cars trapped in traffic hoping to get a few coins, one of an army of Indonesian street musicians who support their families this way.

When he saw a big gas-filled balloon emblazoned with the name of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the name of the man who is odds-on favourite to become the country's next president, land at his intersection he and other street singers rushed over to look.

The company that filled the balloon, Promindo Maga Jaya, said they only use two gases, helium and hydrogen. Helium is safer because it doesn't burn, but it's twice the price of highly flammable hydrogen - made famous by the Hindenburg disaster.

The campaign balloon exploded as Irwan was next to it, leaving him with burns to 20 per cent of his body including his face, arms, legs and back. The other street singers received less severe burns.

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With less than two weeks until voters go to the polls, such a story would normally send campaign teams into damage control. Instead, local officials of Mr Yudhoyono's Democrat Party promised to pay Irwan's hospital bill, gave his father, Eris Suherman, 500,000 rupiah ($A85) for incidentals, and said they'd help with school fees.

Dr Soeraya, who is treating Irwan at the Muhammadiyah Hospital, said he expects the boy will recover after three weeks in hospital and hopes there will be no permanent scarring.

Mr Suherman said he would not seek compensation. "I'm a small person, it's an accident and I'm not brave enough to ask," he said.

Small people in Indonesia don't get noticed much, not even when burnt by the next president's balloon.